Second edition of Inno Challenge : Agropur invites entrepreneurs to reinvent dairy
Montreal, January 26, 2018
Agropur Cooperative today kicked off the second edition of Inno Challenge, an international challenge to co-create innovative dairy products through crowdsourcing, in partnership with the Quartier de l’innovation and FoodBytes! by Rabobank.
Agropur originally launched Inno Challenge, a Canadian first in the agri-food industry, under the theme Together, let's reinvent dairy! This year, the focus will be on supporting the emerging businesses that will help reshape the dairy industry and develop revolutionary new dairy products. Candidates from Canada and around the world interested in teaming up with Agropur have until March 11 to submit their projects for new dairy equipment, technology or packaging. Agropur is proudly continuing its partnership with the Quartier de l’innovation in the quest for disruptive ideas and is pleased to welcome to Montreal, for the first time, FoodBytes! by Rabobank, the international innovation platform for food startups.
“Inno Challenge is a concrete way for Agropur to deliver on its promise to act as an industry leader by reinventing itself, anticipating consumers’ needs and offering them the dairy products of the future,” says Robert Coallier, CEO of Agropur. “Entrepreneurs are driven by the same energy, passion and out-of-the-box thinking as Agropur. We are therefore inviting emerging businesses that are on the verge of creating a radical new dairy product, piece of equipment, technology or packaging to enter into a win-win partnership with us.”
Partnership with Quartier de l’innovation and FoodBytes! by Rabobank
The Quartier de l’innovation is pleased to continue its association with Agropur in this international challenge. “We want to develop strong alliances with promising dairy-related startups,” says Damien Silès, Executive Director of the Quartier de l’innovation. “We were very pleased with the crop of 68 original and relevant ideas from creative thinkers in 8 countries submitted in the first Inno Challenge. We are eager to see what new projects will stand out this year.”
Agropur’s Inno Challenge has also linked up with FoodBytes!, Rabobank’s international platform for innovative food startups. “We are thrilled to partner with Agropur’s Inno Challenge and to hold our first Canadian event in Montreal, a globally recognized centre of innovation,” says Manuel Gonzalez, Managing Director, Global Head of Banking for Food Startup Innovation, Rabobank. “On May 16, the short-listed Inno Challenge candidates will show off their projects as part of the event.” FoodBytes! Montreal will be part of the FoodBytes! North American tour, which also includes events in San Francisco on March 1 and New York in the fall of 2018.
Inno Challenge targets entrepreneurs who have just begun to, or are about to, bring their concept to market and want to boost the potential of their dairy-related startup. Emerging businesses can apply on the innoagropur.com microsite until 11:59 p.m., March 11, 2018.
About the Quartier de l’innovation
The Quartier de l’innovation (QI) is a world-class experimental laboratory located in the heart of Montreal. QI draws on the complementary resources of its numerous public, academic and private partners in research, training, entrepreneurship and social innovation to create concrete projects that are changing the face of the city. It is located in the quadrangle bounded by René Lévesque Boulevard on the north, the Lachine Canal on the south, McGill Street on the east and Atwater Avenue on the west. For more information, visit quartierinnovationmontreal.com.
About Rabobank
Rabobank is a leading global food and agribusiness bank, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Rabobank believes sustainability and innovation are critical to solving the global hunger crisis, a key focus of the company’s Banking for Food strategy. Additional information is available on our website.
For more information follow FoodBytes! on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or view curated content via the hashtag #FoodBytes.
About Agropur Cooperative
Agropur Cooperative, founded in 1938, has placed in the prestigious Global Dairy Top 20 published by Rabobank for the second consecutive year. With sales of $6.0 billion in 2016, Agropur Cooperative is a North American dairy industry leader and a source of pride to its 3,345 member dairy farmers and 8,000 employees. Agropur processes more than 5.9 billion litres of milk per year at its 39 plants across North America and boasts an impressive roster of respected brands and products, including Natrel, Québon, OKA, Farmers, Agropur Signature, Agropur Grand Cheddar, Island Farms and biPro. Agropur’s head office is certified LEED Silver.
Follow Agropur on social media! (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the agropur.com website)
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Diane Jubinville
Director Public Relations & External Communications
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